本 Issues of Interaction in Pure-Online English Learning Environment through Perspectives of Cognitive Constructivism and Social Constructivism A Case Study for Non-Formal Learning_媒体辅助英语教学模块一

Issues of Interaction in Pure-Online English Learning Environment through Perspectives of Cognitive Constructivism and Social Constructivism: A Case Study for Non-formal Learning Yanhui Han Faculty of Foreign Langnages,The Open University of China, 160.Fuxingmennei Street,Beijing 100031.China hanyhecrtvu.edu.cn Abstruct Most previous studies an the use of Intemnet technology and com- puters for second language leaming have heen conducted in blended learing environments.Although much research has been undertaken into interactions in online learning,little work has focused on online English leaming,let alone the pure-online (ie pon-blended)English learning environment with no face-to-face element.This paper investigates the English-language leaming interactions in one of our projects that has been running for ten years continuously in coopera- tion with the BBC and British Council.Our pure-online English-language learn- ing environment for non-formal learning is at in2english.com.cn.This study further aims to explore bow the interactions work in such an environment.and investigates the related issues and peculiar characteristics of the interactions in practice. Keywords:interaction,CALL.feedback.cognitive constructivism,social con- structivism.non-formal learning.SLA. 1 Introduction Over the last decade.the Internet and the World Wide Web have fundamentally altered the practice of distance teaching and leaming"[2]and great efforts of re- searchers have been put into studies on the use of Internet technology and computers in second language leaming.Previous studies have recognized the value of online English education that can provide distant and interactive English leamning activities and promote knowledge construction of English language and meaningful English learning [3.16,361.It is noted that most past studies on the use of computers and Internet technology have been carried out in Computer Assisted Language Learming (CALL)within a blended learning setting with clear-cut pedagogic purposes.Interac- tion,a critical issue in online leamning.has received a growing number of studies [2,11,29].However,there has been little research to date conducted to investigate the issues of Interaction in online second language learning without face-to-face tutorials. The paper is just such an attempt to address the issues and peculiar characteristics of X Luo et al.(Eds.):ICWL 2010 Workshops,LNCS 6537.pp.139-150.2011. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011

X. Luo et al. (Eds.): ICWL 2010 Workshops, LNCS 6537, pp. 139–150, 2011. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011 Issues of Interaction in Pure-Online English Learning Environment through Perspectives of Cognitive Constructivism and Social Constructivism: A Case Study for Non-formal Learning Yanhui Han Faculty of Foreign Languages, The Open University of China, 160, Fuxingmennei Street, Beijing 100031, China hanyh@crtvu.edu.cn Abstract. Most previous studies on the use of Internet technology and com￾puters for second language learning have been conducted in blended learning environments. Although much research has been undertaken into interactions in online learning, little work has focused on online English learning, let alone the pure-online (ie non-blended) English learning environment with no face-to-face element. This paper investigates the English-language learning interactions in one of our projects that has been running for ten years continuously in coopera￾tion with the BBC and British Council. Our pure-online English-language learn￾ing environment for non-formal learning is at in2english.com.cn. This study further aims to explore how the interactions work in such an environment, and investigates the related issues and peculiar characteristics of the interactions in practice. Keywords: interaction, CALL, feedback, cognitive constructivism, social con￾structivism, non-formal learning, SLA. 1 Introduction Over the last decade, “the Internet and the World Wide Web have fundamentally altered the practice of distance teaching and learning” [2] and great efforts of re￾searchers have been put into studies on the use of Internet technology and computers in second language learning. Previous studies have recognized the value of online English education that can provide distant and interactive English learning activities and promote knowledge construction of English language and meaningful English learning [3,16,36]. It is noted that most past studies on the use of computers and Internet technology have been carried out in Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) within a blended learning setting with clear-cut pedagogic purposes. Interac￾tion, a critical issue in online learning, has received a growing number of studies [2,11,29]. However, there has been little research to date conducted to investigate the issues of Interaction in online second language learning without face-to-face tutorials. The paper is just such an attempt to address the issues and peculiar characteristics of

140 Y.Han Interaction in a pure-online English learning environment of in2english.com.cn'.It should be noted that all the multimedia and interactive resources offered on the web- site are not curriculum-based.In this sense,the pedagogic relations on the website are not as eminent as in traditional institutions. 2 Literature Review A review of the literature indicates that the theoretical framework of online second language learning or web-hased second language leaming is still situated at the ex- plorutory stage with varicties of theories and approaches [35]. 2.1 The Prevalent Theory of Second Language Acquisition (SLA)from the Perspectives of Cognitive and Social Constructivism The mainstream theories and approoches of Second Language Acquisition (SLA)are generally developed from cognitive theories and constructive approaches [15,17,26,30]. Most of the literature has contributed to the research into SLA from the perspectives of constructivism.According to constructivism,"the learer builds an internal repre- sentation and interpretation of knowledge by interalizing and transforming new in- formation"[8]and "[t]he significance of the learner's interaction with his/her social and physical environment is here of great importance"[30].Consequently."language learning theory has seen a paradigm shift in which the leamer becomes the centre of learning and is no longer a passive recipient of knowledge"[30].The shift in the para- digm of education and language leaming can find its root from "the constructivist phi- losophy'that "encourage[s]the use of computers in second language acquisition"[30]. The social constructivist approaches revolve overwhelmingly around Vygotsky's theory of 'zone of proximal development'which indicates the important role of social interaction in students'cognition development through collaboration with more ex- perienced peers. Amongst the various constructivism paradigms are the two leading schools of cog- nitive constructivism and social constructivism and "the most significant,yet still fairly simplistic difference"between the two schools of thought is that the cognitive constructivism approaches centre on group individualities "believing that cognition occurs in the bead of the individual and that leamers make intellectual sense of the materials on their own"while the social constructivism lays great emphasis on the social interaction of cognition [10].The approaches of "Leaming based on construc- tivist principles"are winning increasing recognition and deemed in the realm of edu- cation "as a suitable framework for the learning environment of the future"and "the constructivist paradigm is seen as an important methodological basis for a real inno- vation in foreign language learning"9. The proposition of combining social and cognitive constructivism approaches in e-learning is based on an analysis of the characteristics of education and educational institutions [10].This proposition is still at a tentative stage,and Felix has not formu- lated how exactly the social and cognitive approaches can be applied to e-learning. in2english.com.cn is a Sino-British online English leaming project which provides froe supplementary English learning resources to Chinese English leamers featuring multimedia and interactive technology

140 Y. Han Interaction in a pure-online English learning environment of in2english.com.cn1 . It should be noted that all the multimedia and interactive resources offered on the web￾site are not curriculum-based. In this sense, the pedagogic relations on the website are not as eminent as in traditional institutions. 2 Literature Review A review of the literature indicates that the theoretical framework of online second language learning or web-based second language learning is still situated at the ex￾ploratory stage with varieties of theories and approaches [35]. 2.1 The Prevalent Theory of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) from the Perspectives of Cognitive and Social Constructivism The mainstream theories and approaches of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) are generally developed from cognitive theories and constructive approaches [15,17,26,30]. Most of the literature has contributed to the research into SLA from the perspectives of constructivism. According to constructivism, “the learner builds an internal repre￾sentation and interpretation of knowledge by internalizing and transforming new in￾formation” [8] and “[t]he significance of the learner’s interaction with his/her social and physical environment is here of great importance” [30]. Consequently, “language learning theory has seen a paradigm shift in which the learner becomes the centre of learning and is no longer a passive recipient of knowledge” [30]. The shift in the para￾digm of education and language learning can find its root from “the constructivist phi￾losophy” that “encourage[s] the use of computers in second language acquisition”[30]. The social constructivist approaches revolve overwhelmingly around Vygotsky’s theory of ‘zone of proximal development’ which indicates the important role of social interaction in students’ cognition development through collaboration with more ex￾perienced peers. Amongst the various constructivism paradigms are the two leading schools of cog￾nitive constructivism and social constructivism and “the most significant, yet still fairly simplistic difference” between the two schools of thought is that the cognitive constructivism approaches centre on group individualities “believing that cognition occurs in the head of the individual and that learners make intellectual sense of the materials on their own” while the social constructivism lays great emphasis on the social interaction of cognition [10]. The approaches of “Learning based on construc￾tivist principles” are winning increasing recognition and deemed in the realm of edu￾cation “as a suitable framework for the learning environment of the future” and “the constructivist paradigm is seen as an important methodological basis for a real inno￾vation in foreign language learning” [9]. The proposition of combining social and cognitive constructivism approaches in e-learning is based on an analysis of the characteristics of education and educational institutions [10]. This proposition is still at a tentative stage, and Felix has not formu￾lated how exactly the social and cognitive approaches can be applied to e-learning. 1 in2english.com.cn is a Sino-British online English learning project which provides free supplementary English learning resources to Chinese English learners featuring multimedia and interactive technology

Issues of Interaction in Pure-Online English Leaming Environment 141 2.2 Issues in Computer Assisted Language Learning (TESOL)in the Framework of the Prevalent SLA Theory CALL research and studies have greatly developed over the last decades (18,22,25,30].However.there are few studies on the emerging issues and solutions concerning the impact of networked computers on TESOL in the Chinese context,and most of the CALL literature has been on blended learning.with very little research on resource-based pure-online second language leaming environment such as in2english.com.cn. In traditional second language acquisition,amongst the critical elements are learner autonomy and motivation [19].How do the elements work and what are the similari- ties and dissimilarities in CALL? Some research has looked at learner autonomy in a successful distance learning environment [9.23].However,leamer autonomy and its related issues in practice have not yet received sufficient investigation in the context of a pure-online second lan- guage leaming environment. The significance of learner autonomy and motivation is acknowledged in Job- lineLMU [25].However,the main learning practice in the process occurred via email and face-to-face tutorials.Further research is needed into how leamers can maintain autonomy at a high level in a single online mode without any face-to-face tutorials. Even though"Research has indicated that leamers are highly motivated by the use of technology"[24],it has to be noted that the research "is tied very closely to specific uses"(ibid).Therefore it definitely lacks the adequate ground for the generalizations of the relationships between learner motivation and technology in the context of sec. ond language leaming. It has been noticed that the great majority of studies and research upon how Asian students learn English as a second language are based on stand-alone software devel- opment for CALL rather than the online learing through networked computers [14]. Two studies are located relevant to online second language learning in Asian context but still limited to blended learing environments.Loucky's study [20]fails to ex- plore how the feedhack works without face-to-face tutorials.Lim and Shen's studies 118]are confined to reading classes,and it offers the scope of question upon the ef- fects of the use of technology in other aspects of TESOL and upon what kinds of in- teraction would happen if the reading classes were located online. 2.3 Interaction and Feedback in Online Language Learning "Interaction has always been valued in distance education.even in its most traditional, independent study format"[2].The main challenges the online instructors have to face nowadays are how to create "a consistent level of interaction that fosters genuine learning and cultivates a community atmosphere"[23].The literature also indicates that asynchronous and synchronous communications can facilitate SLA both in writing and speaking and implies the importance of interaction in online language learning [13.24.27.28.34).But further research needs to be conducted especially in a pure-online English language learning environment. Also,the crucial element of 'feedback'has to be taken in particular account. "[S]tudents quite like receiving instant feedback in self-access activities"and "the

Issues of Interaction in Pure-Online English Learning Environment 141 2.2 Issues in Computer Assisted Language Learning (TESOL) in the Framework of the Prevalent SLA Theory CALL research and studies have greatly developed over the last decades [18,22,25,30]. However, there are few studies on the emerging issues and solutions concerning the impact of networked computers on TESOL in the Chinese context, and most of the CALL literature has been on blended learning, with very little research on resource-based pure-online second language learning environment such as in2english.com.cn. In traditional second language acquisition, amongst the critical elements are learner autonomy and motivation [19]. How do the elements work and what are the similari￾ties and dissimilarities in CALL? Some research has looked at learner autonomy in a successful distance learning environment [9,23]. However, learner autonomy and its related issues in practice have not yet received sufficient investigation in the context of a pure-online second lan￾guage learning environment. The significance of learner autonomy and motivation is acknowledged in Job￾lineLMU [25]. However, the main learning practice in the process occurred via email and face-to-face tutorials. Further research is needed into how learners can maintain autonomy at a high level in a single online mode without any face-to-face tutorials. Even though “Research has indicated that learners are highly motivated by the use of technology” [24], it has to be noted that the research “is tied very closely to specific uses” (ibid). Therefore it definitely lacks the adequate ground for the generalizations of the relationships between learner motivation and technology in the context of sec￾ond language learning. It has been noticed that the great majority of studies and research upon how Asian students learn English as a second language are based on stand-alone software devel￾opment for CALL rather than the online learning through networked computers [14]. Two studies are located relevant to online second language learning in Asian context but still limited to blended learning environments. Loucky’s study [20] fails to ex￾plore how the feedback works without face-to-face tutorials. Lim and Shen’s studies [18] are confined to reading classes, and it offers the scope of question upon the ef￾fects of the use of technology in other aspects of TESOL and upon what kinds of in￾teraction would happen if the reading classes were located online. 2.3 Interaction and Feedback in Online Language Learning “Interaction has always been valued in distance education, even in its most traditional, independent study format” [2]. The main challenges the online instructors have to face nowadays are how to create “a consistent level of interaction that fosters genuine learning and cultivates a community atmosphere” [23]. The literature also indicates that asynchronous and synchronous communications can facilitate SLA both in writing and speaking and implies the importance of interaction in online language learning [13,24,27,28,34). But further research needs to be conducted especially in a pure-online English language learning environment. Also, the crucial element of ‘feedback’ has to be taken in particular account. “[S]tudents quite like receiving instant feedback in self-access activities” and “the

142 Y.Han Web has the potential to engage students more fully in the construction of knowledge. especially at an intermediate and advanced level"[9]."[T]be interactive nature of CALL"can enhance learners'memorizing.recalling and producing of "newly learnt words"[1].It has to be pointed out that the studies are limited to initial vocabulary learning."[T]he interactive nature of CALL"was not explored in other aspects of second language leaming and the relations between feedback and motivation need further studics. Then how does the Interaction work in a pure-online second language leaming en- vironment like in2english.com en?This is the main research question of the paper. The two sub-questions are:a.What are the related issues of the Interaction?and b. What are the peculiar characteristics of the Interaction? 3 Research Methodology Due to the nature of the data required,online recorded synchronous interviews and online text-based asynchronous discussions with in2english users were used in this study.Both the methods would minimize costs.as both the interviews and discussions were carried out online.Also the methods would suit the users geographically since they are located in different regions of China. The reason why the two approaches of interviews and discussions were employed is to minimize "the inevitable shortcomings of any particular approach"[6]and to cross check information collected 19]in respect of reliability and validity.This in- volves the "methodological triangulation".according to Brown and Dowling [5]. "Many interviewers recruit on-line participants using the Internet itself [21].The author recruited the target users through a new section 'Research'in the in2english Community.The participants were divided into two groups.one for the online re- corded synchronous interviews and the other for the online asynchronous discussions. Opportunity sampling was used.It has been noted by the author that opportunity sam- pling may produce some biased samples;however,"Opportunity samples ..are gen- crally acceptable as long as the make-up of the sample is clearly stated and limitations of the data are realized"[41. The registration and use of the in2english Community is free of charge.The free chat software called Tencent QQ'was used for the synchronous recorded interviews. 4 Findings First of all,the recording of the interview and threads of the discussion were tran- scribed.Then the author reviewed all the ideas and opinions expressed by the partici- pants during the interviews and discussions.The important sentences and key words/phrases related to the rescarch questions were highlighted.Through the process of "open coding"[31],the highlighted sentences were compared,and the similarities and differences between the participants'interview replies and discussion posts were 2Tencent QQ,often referred to as QQ,is the most popular free instant messaging tool in China. It supports comprehensive basie online communication functions,including text messaging. video and voice chat as well as online (omfine)file transmission

142 Y. Han Web has the potential to engage students more fully in the construction of knowledge, especially at an intermediate and advanced level” [9]. “[T]he interactive nature of CALL” can enhance learners’ memorizing, recalling and producing of “newly learnt words” [1]. It has to be pointed out that the studies are limited to initial vocabulary learning, “[T]he interactive nature of CALL” was not explored in other aspects of second language learning and the relations between feedback and motivation need further studies. Then how does the Interaction work in a pure-online second language learning en￾vironment like in2english.com.cn? This is the main research question of the paper. The two sub-questions are: a. What are the related issues of the Interaction? and b. What are the peculiar characteristics of the Interaction? 3 Research Methodology Due to the nature of the data required, online recorded synchronous interviews and online text-based asynchronous discussions with in2english users were used in this study. Both the methods would minimize costs, as both the interviews and discussions were carried out online. Also the methods would suit the users geographically since they are located in different regions of China. The reason why the two approaches of interviews and discussions were employed is to minimize “the inevitable shortcomings of any particular approach” [6] and to cross check information collected [9] in respect of reliability and validity. This in￾volves the “methodological triangulation”, according to Brown and Dowling [5]. “Many interviewers recruit on-line participants using the Internet itself” [21]. The author recruited the target users through a new section ‘Research’ in the in2english Community. The participants were divided into two groups, one for the online re￾corded synchronous interviews and the other for the online asynchronous discussions. Opportunity sampling was used. It has been noted by the author that opportunity sam￾pling may produce some biased samples; however, “Opportunity samples … are gen￾erally acceptable as long as the make-up of the sample is clearly stated and limitations of the data are realized” [4]. The registration and use of the in2english Community is free of charge. The free chat software called Tencent QQ2 was used for the synchronous recorded interviews. 4 Findings First of all, the recording of the interview and threads of the discussion were tran￾scribed. Then the author reviewed all the ideas and opinions expressed by the partici￾pants during the interviews and discussions. The important sentences and key words/phrases related to the research questions were highlighted. Through the process of “open coding” [31], the highlighted sentences were compared, and the similarities and differences between the participants’ interview replies and discussion posts were 2 Tencent QQ, often referred to as QQ, is the most popular free instant messaging tool in China. It supports comprehensive basic online communication functions, including text messaging, video and voice chat as well as online (offline) file transmission

Issues of Interaction in Pure-Online English Leaming Environment 143 summarised.The coding was mainly carried out upon the key words/phrases into dis- crete concepts that revolve around the research questions.The words/phrases that are supposed to pertain to the same concept were then categorized together into the identi- cal label.All the concepts were regarded as the prospective or temporary categories of description that classified the perception towards the research questions.A further at- tempt was made to trace back to the concepts through the original data collected from the interviews and discussions in order to attain the verification of the concepts [121 4.1 Tensions between Community Motives and Language Learning Of the 8 participants,6 of them regard the Community as the place of social interac- tion.They tend to agree that in the Community they can not only improve their English level but also communicate with others just like "a big and friendly family". Shirley happened to know in2english through"scarching translation exercises on the Intemet and found such exercises in in2english Community".She said,"In the Community each day I post some messages to communicate with other users.Gradu- ally I fell in love with in2english".On being asked why she fell in love with the Community,she explained,"Because I can post my ideas there and other users will reply to your posts just like the chat on the QQ or blog."She added that she loves the kind of communication because her English level can be improved.In particular.she stressed that "at least each day I feel very happy to communicate with other leamers and look forward to other leamers'replies".The communications through posting are done between the user and tutors and amongst the users themselves. Henry,Tony,Stephen,Shirley.Eric and Mark clearly stated that their main pur- pose of coming to in2english is to visit the Community.The interviews and discus- sions indicate it is evident that all of them have formed a habit of keeping writing English articles there just because other users read them and the articles obtain com- ments from both the users and tutors/editors.Shirley spoke out the learners'expecta- tions."I do think most of the learners expect editors'comments to their posts".Her idea is confirmed by Tony,when he explained why he prefers the Community,"Gen. erally I visit the Community where I write articles,nearly one article a week,because my articles got replies,so I kept writing". Mark placed emphasis on the interaction between the user and tutor."Interaction is one of the most important things to keep me writing here."In addition,he mentioned that be can make friends in "this lovely community".Henry expressed the same idea proudly,"I've made many friends there in the Community"and furtber added."The Community is just like a big and friendly family where people help each other.I really love the atmosphere".The friends include not only the users but also the tu- tors/editors. 4.2 Feedhack and Motivation All of them recognized the great importance of feedbacks either in flash exercises or in the Community.The consensus reached by all of them is that they are motivated by the feedbacks. Rob loves the detailed feedbacks as in David's London (http://www.in2english.com.cn/living/living.php?pageid=1358)and considered that

Issues of Interaction in Pure-Online English Learning Environment 143 summarised. The coding was mainly carried out upon the key words/phrases into dis￾crete concepts that revolve around the research questions. The words/phrases that are supposed to pertain to the same concept were then categorized together into the identi￾cal label. All the concepts were regarded as the prospective or temporary categories of description that classified the perception towards the research questions. A further at￾tempt was made to trace back to the concepts through the original data collected from the interviews and discussions in order to attain the verification of the concepts [12]. 4.1 Tensions between Community Motives and Language Learning Of the 8 participants, 6 of them regard the Community as the place of social interac￾tion. They tend to agree that in the Community they can not only improve their English level but also communicate with others just like “a big and friendly family”. Shirley happened to know in2english through “searching translation exercises on the Internet and found such exercises in in2english Community”. She said, “In the Community each day I post some messages to communicate with other users. Gradu￾ally I fell in love with in2english”. On being asked why she fell in love with the Community, she explained, “Because I can post my ideas there and other users will reply to your posts just like the chat on the QQ or blog.” She added that she loves the kind of communication because her English level can be improved. In particular, she stressed that “at least each day I feel very happy to communicate with other learners and look forward to other learners’ replies”. The communications through posting are done between the user and tutors and amongst the users themselves. Henry, Tony, Stephen, Shirley, Eric and Mark clearly stated that their main pur￾pose of coming to in2english is to visit the Community. The interviews and discus￾sions indicate it is evident that all of them have formed a habit of keeping writing English articles there just because other users read them and the articles obtain com￾ments from both the users and tutors/editors. Shirley spoke out the learners’ expecta￾tions, “I do think most of the learners expect editors’ comments to their posts”. Her idea is confirmed by Tony, when he explained why he prefers the Community, “Gen￾erally I visit the Community where I write articles, nearly one article a week, because my articles got replies, so I kept writing”. Mark placed emphasis on the interaction between the user and tutor, “Interaction is one of the most important things to keep me writing here.” In addition, he mentioned that he can make friends in “this lovely community”. Henry expressed the same idea proudly, “I’ve made many friends there in the Community” and further added, “The Community is just like a big and friendly family where people help each other. I really love the atmosphere”. The friends include not only the users but also the tu￾tors/editors. 4.2 Feedback and Motivation All of them recognized the great importance of feedbacks either in flash exercises or in the Community. The consensus reached by all of them is that they are motivated by the feedbacks. Rob loves the detailed feedbacks as in David’s London (http://www.in2english.com.cn/living/living.php?pageid=1358) and considered that

144 Y.Han in2english editors must have done a lot of work on them,"Feedbacks are very impor- tant to online English learners...If all the flash exercises are provided with such detailed feedhacks,it will do take a lot of time either in maintenance or design".On being asked why the feedbacks are important.he answered."Because firstly it can fortify what I've leamed,secondly it can check how I've leamed and finally it can stimulate my motivation."When pressed further on what kind of online English leam- ing resourees he expects best,he accentuated the feedbacks again,"The exercises must be various and offer timely feedback" Shirley admitted that her interest in English learning can be motivated.On the one hand,she expects "other learers'replies"and on the other hand,she makes efforts to 'post more messages to their replies".The feedbacks,in her opinion,are interactive. When pressed more on what she thinks of the flash exercises,she iterated the sig- nificance of the feedbacks of the flash exercises,"The advantage of the site's exercise is that it provides feedbacks telling you whether your choice is right or wrong and ex- plaining why you get a wrong answer,the usage of the word or expressions". Quite obviously,the elaborated feedbacks of the flash exercise motivated her inter- est in English learning online.She particularly recognized the use of interactive flash technology which enables the elaborated and timely feedbacks. Tony's interview also echoes the relations between feedback and motivation:he aid he kept writing in the Community just hecause his articles got replies.Further,he added that the ordinary replies are not very helpful and strongly suggested that the ar. ticles be revised by tutors/editors of the site. Interestingly,Mark doubted whether the author would reply to his first post in the Community.be said."Actually.I don't think you will respond to my post.which I finished late last night quickly.What you have done will let me come here everyday and ASAP".Later on,he clarified his main purpose of visiting the Community."I find I can get more than I expect.I also find the interaction here is one important drive for me to stay and keep writing here often". 4.3 Feedhack in Flash Exercise and Virtual Tutor One of the most striking findings to come out of these interviews and discussions is that almost half of the participants put forward such an idea that detailed and timely feedhacks in flash exercises can act as a virtual tutor. On being asked the usefulness of the feedbacks in flash exercises,Stephen clicited the concept of 'virtual tutor'."I think the feedbacks are very helpful for me to reflect on the question and it's just like studying with a virtual tutor". The idea was agreed on in some way with Shirley and Alice.Shirley claimed that the elaborated and timely feedback is the advantage of the website. Asked upon whether she expects detailed feedback when giving a wrong answer in a flash exercise.Alice gave an affirmative answer."Of course.if I cannot find the right answer.I wish somebody could help me.It's a good idea to refer to the hints or feedbacks for the choices to get a detailed explanation." For those users who encounter a problem in the course of doing the flash exercise. the detailed and timely feedbacks can offer them instant assistance.Even though at that time the user cannot directly obtain a tutor's assistance,the feedback acts as a tu- tor even though it is virtual

144 Y. Han in2english editors must have done a lot of work on them, “Feedbacks are very impor￾tant to online English learners. … If all the flash exercises are provided with such detailed feedbacks, it will do take a lot of time either in maintenance or design”. On being asked why the feedbacks are important, he answered, “Because firstly it can fortify what I’ve learned, secondly it can check how I’ve learned and finally it can stimulate my motivation.” When pressed further on what kind of online English learn￾ing resources he expects best, he accentuated the feedbacks again, “The exercises must be various and offer timely feedback”. Shirley admitted that her interest in English learning can be motivated. On the one hand, she expects “other learners’ replies” and on the other hand, she makes efforts to “post more messages to their replies”. The feedbacks, in her opinion, are interactive. When pressed more on what she thinks of the flash exercises, she iterated the sig￾nificance of the feedbacks of the flash exercises, “The advantage of the site’s exercise is that it provides feedbacks telling you whether your choice is right or wrong and ex￾plaining why you get a wrong answer, the usage of the word or expressions”. Quite obviously, the elaborated feedbacks of the flash exercise motivated her inter￾est in English learning online. She particularly recognized the use of interactive flash technology which enables the elaborated and timely feedbacks. Tony’s interview also echoes the relations between feedback and motivation; he said he kept writing in the Community just because his articles got replies. Further, he added that the ordinary replies are not very helpful and strongly suggested that the ar￾ticles be revised by tutors/editors of the site. Interestingly, Mark doubted whether the author would reply to his first post in the Community, he said, “Actually, I don’t think you will respond to my post, which I finished late last night quickly. What you have done will let me come here everyday and ASAP”. Later on, he clarified his main purpose of visiting the Community, “I find I can get more than I expect. I also find the interaction here is one important drive for me to stay and keep writing here often”. 4.3 Feedback in Flash Exercise and Virtual Tutor One of the most striking findings to come out of these interviews and discussions is that almost half of the participants put forward such an idea that detailed and timely feedbacks in flash exercises can act as a virtual tutor. On being asked the usefulness of the feedbacks in flash exercises, Stephen elicited the concept of ‘virtual tutor’, “I think the feedbacks are very helpful for me to reflect on the question and it’s just like studying with a virtual tutor”. The idea was agreed on in some way with Shirley and Alice. Shirley claimed that the elaborated and timely feedback is the advantage of the website. Asked upon whether she expects detailed feedback when giving a wrong answer in a flash exercise, Alice gave an affirmative answer, “Of course, if I cannot find the right answer, I wish somebody could help me. It’s a good idea to refer to the hints or feedbacks for the choices to get a detailed explanation.” For those users who encounter a problem in the course of doing the flash exercise, the detailed and timely feedbacks can offer them instant assistance. Even though at that time the user cannot directly obtain a tutor’s assistance, the feedback acts as a tu￾tor even though it is virtual

Issues of Interaction in Pure-Online English Leaming Environment 145 4.4 Reluctance of Seeking Assistance from the Website Amongst the findings,what surprises the author a lot is the reluctance of nearly all the participants in secking assistant from the website when coming across a question in studying the resources on in2english or encountering a technical problem.Interest- ingly,most of them chose dictionary as the consultant.The otber altemative is to seek assistance from friends or colleagues around them. 4.5 Synchronous Communications and Oral English One finding is that most of the participants reached the consensus on the urgency of improving oral English and the greatest challenge of improving oral English in pure. online learning environment. On being asked the greatest challenge for leamers in a pure-online English learning environment,Shirley answered without any hesitation."I think it's the challenge of how to improve oral English abilities".When explaining why he kept writing in in2english Community.Mark emphasized the urgency of practicing oral English."To study English well mean I have to use it.It goes without saying that writing here is better way while I can't find a place to speak English". Tony's interview echoes their ideas,he suggested setting up a chat room for prac- ticing oral English.Stephen also recognized the great importance of Chat Room and the feasibility of setting up a chat room on in2english. 4.6 Interface Design and Motivation One point in Shirley's interview is her frequent stress on the importance of interface design.When explaining why she lost favour in the Community after it was revised. Shirley said."I don't like the changed layout and I think it was not convenient to use any more".On being asked her opinions on the widely-used flash exercise,she highly praised the use of flash,"it makes me feel relaxed.I think if the flash can be designed more beautiful,more interests will be motivated from the users". When asked about comparing in2english with other English learning wehsites,she confirmed again the advantage of the interface design on in2english."the interface design of other websites looks in disorder while in2english looks comfortable:its col- our blocks are well matched.so it produces good environments for English learning". The idea of Shirley is also echoed by Stephen. 4.7 Learner Autonomy and Technology Amongst the participants,it was Eric who mentioned leamer autonomy in online Eng- lish learning.When asked his understanding of the Interaction in online learning,he said,"Regarding 'interaction'.I think that being interesting is most important fact of success.A little bit compulsion is necessary for me to learn English,and then more interaction can be achieved". The 'compulsion'here can be understood as learner autonomy or self-regulation. the vital element in online leaming.In his opinion well-designed resources must meet the standards of 'interests'and 'compulsion'.He also implied the importance of de sign in the interface and content

Issues of Interaction in Pure-Online English Learning Environment 145 4.4 Reluctance of Seeking Assistance from the Website Amongst the findings, what surprises the author a lot is the reluctance of nearly all the participants in seeking assistant from the website when coming across a question in studying the resources on in2english or encountering a technical problem. Interest￾ingly, most of them chose dictionary as the consultant. The other alternative is to seek assistance from friends or colleagues around them. 4.5 Synchronous Communications and Oral English One finding is that most of the participants reached the consensus on the urgency of improving oral English and the greatest challenge of improving oral English in pure￾online learning environment. On being asked the greatest challenge for learners in a pure-online English learning environment, Shirley answered without any hesitation, “I think it’s the challenge of how to improve oral English abilities”. When explaining why he kept writing in in2english Community, Mark emphasized the urgency of practicing oral English, “To study English well mean I have to use it. It goes without saying that writing here is better way while I can’t find a place to speak English”. Tony’s interview echoes their ideas, he suggested setting up a chat room for prac￾ticing oral English. Stephen also recognized the great importance of Chat Room and the feasibility of setting up a chat room on in2english. 4.6 Interface Design and Motivation One point in Shirley’s interview is her frequent stress on the importance of interface design. When explaining why she lost favour in the Community after it was revised, Shirley said, “I don’t like the changed layout and I think it was not convenient to use any more”. On being asked her opinions on the widely-used flash exercise, she highly praised the use of flash, “it makes me feel relaxed. I think if the flash can be designed more beautiful, more interests will be motivated from the users”. When asked about comparing in2english with other English learning websites, she confirmed again the advantage of the interface design on in2english, “the interface design of other websites looks in disorder while in2english looks comfortable; its col￾our blocks are well matched, so it produces good environments for English learning”. The idea of Shirley is also echoed by Stephen. 4.7 Learner Autonomy and Technology Amongst the participants, it was Eric who mentioned learner autonomy in online Eng￾lish learning. When asked his understanding of the Interaction in online learning, he said, “Regarding ‘interaction’, I think that being interesting is most important fact of success. A little bit compulsion is necessary for me to learn English, and then more interaction can be achieved”. The ‘compulsion’ here can be understood as learner autonomy or self-regulation, the vital element in online learning. In his opinion well-designed resources must meet the standards of ‘interests’ and ‘compulsion’. He also implied the importance of de￾sign in the interface and content

146 Y.Han 4.8 Interaction as Apprenticeship Another finding is the interaction as apprenticeship.Shirley and Tony both empha- sized the great importance of negotiation of meaning and feedback from tutors in the social interaction in the Community. On being asked if she expects the editors'or foreign experts'feedback to her posts in order to help her improve your English writing,she commented,"Sure.It'll be very helpful to my writing skills.But it seems the site doesn't provide such services a lot.I do think most of the learners expect editors'comments to their posts". In her opinion,the comments from the editors or foreign experts on the website will help her improve writing skills.Leamers expect more feedhack from more ex- perienced or more capable experts so that their errors could be identified and then re- solved.In the process,their input could be modified for more comprehensible output. She then went on to iterate her expectations,"I prefer the feedback from online tu- tors,because sometimes I would like to write some articles in English,as you know English is different from Chinese in the way of writing,so I would like the expert's comments so that I could improve my English writing ability instead of writing some sentences similar to oral conversation". Tony complained about the lack of tutor's feedback and revisions in the Community. It implies that tutor's feedback can help them to modify their input and then gener- ate comprehensible output through the social interaction among non-native speakers and native speakers or more experienced tutors. 5 Discussion of Findings On in2english,the overwhelming interactions are the ones between users and content and amongst users themselves.Most of the participants visited the Community before studying the online English leaming resources on the website.This scems to agree to greater extent upon ideas of participants'"feelings of belonging"in online communi- ties (37).On the other hand,much less Interaction between users and the tutors/editors happens in the Community since the participants complained about the lack of feed- back and revisions from tutors/editors.The participants recognized the great impor- tance of negotiation of meaning and input modification in second language leaming through the social interaction with more experienced or more capable tutors/editors. This agrees with Vygotsky upon the important role of social interaction in the devel- opment of student's cognition through the scaffolding of more capable tutors [33]. Admittedly,in the Community it is predominant that the users themselves who interact with each other in posting messages or articles and conducting discussions. The interactions amongst the users in the Community can he considered from the perspective of the social constructivism.The users interact with each other through posting feedbacks to others'articles and reading each other's articles.In the process of writing articles and feedback and reading others'articles and feedback,it seems to agree,to some extent,with Vetter [32]and Chun [7]that in synchronous communica- tions participants'oral English benefits from text-based communication in language learning.Although the communications and interactions between the users in the Community are not synchronous.the findings indicate the benefits of the users'oral

146 Y. Han 4.8 Interaction as Apprenticeship Another finding is the interaction as apprenticeship. Shirley and Tony both empha￾sized the great importance of negotiation of meaning and feedback from tutors in the social interaction in the Community. On being asked if she expects the editors’ or foreign experts’ feedback to her posts in order to help her improve your English writing, she commented, “Sure. It’ll be very helpful to my writing skills. But it seems the site doesn’t provide such services a lot. I do think most of the learners expect editors’ comments to their posts”. In her opinion, the comments from the editors or foreign experts on the website will help her improve writing skills. Learners expect more feedback from more ex￾perienced or more capable experts so that their errors could be identified and then re￾solved. In the process, their input could be modified for more comprehensible output. She then went on to iterate her expectations, “I prefer the feedback from online tu￾tors, because sometimes I would like to write some articles in English, as you know English is different from Chinese in the way of writing, so I would like the expert’s comments so that I could improve my English writing ability instead of writing some sentences similar to oral conversation”. Tony complained about the lack of tutor’s feedback and revisions in the Community. It implies that tutor’s feedback can help them to modify their input and then gener￾ate comprehensible output through the social interaction among non-native speakers and native speakers or more experienced tutors. 5 Discussion of Findings On in2english, the overwhelming interactions are the ones between users and content and amongst users themselves. Most of the participants visited the Community before studying the online English learning resources on the website. This seems to agree to greater extent upon ideas of participants’ “feelings of belonging” in online communi￾ties [37]. On the other hand, much less Interaction between users and the tutors/editors happens in the Community since the participants complained about the lack of feed￾back and revisions from tutors/editors. The participants recognized the great impor￾tance of negotiation of meaning and input modification in second language learning through the social interaction with more experienced or more capable tutors/editors. This agrees with Vygotsky upon the important role of social interaction in the devel￾opment of student’s cognition through the scaffolding of more capable tutors [33]. Admittedly, in the Community it is predominant that the users themselves who interact with each other in posting messages or articles and conducting discussions. The interactions amongst the users in the Community can be considered from the perspective of the social constructivism. The users interact with each other through posting feedbacks to others’ articles and reading each other’s articles. In the process of writing articles and feedback and reading others’ articles and feedback, it seems to agree, to some extent, with Vetter [32] and Chun [7] that in synchronous communica￾tions participants’ oral English benefits from text-based communication in language learning. Although the communications and interactions between the users in the Community are not synchronous, the findings indicate the benefits of the users’ oral

Issues of Interaction in Pure-Online English Leaming Environment 147 English from posting articles as a sort of writing practice.One of the most surprising findings that come out of the interviews and discussions is the participants'preference for the Community and greatest desire for the setting up of a Chat Room.The users intend to minimize the absence of face-to-face tutorials through the use of a Chat Room.However,the need for a Chat Room reflects the lack of the opportunities for practicing oral English and the general low level of Chinese learers'oral English. The asynchronous Community has gained the support of most of the participants as it is the only place for them to communicate and interact with each other socially.In addition,it establishes a firm link between online learning and the need of social in- teraction [22].In a pure-online learning environment,obviously the users hope they can obtain online support and assistance from other users,tutors/editors especially more professional people. The interaction between the users and the content can be regarded as the exercise of cognitive constructivism.The users construct meaning in their own mind through the interaction with the resources.It has to be noted the users can hardly acquire any assistant from tutors/editor of the website.Nearly all of them could carry on leamning the content by themselves with the facilitation of feedback,online support or content design.Feedback was important to strengthen the interaction between the users and the content [1].The recognition of the significance of the elaborated and timely feed- back by most of the participants indicates the online leamers'dependence on the in- teractions enhanced by technology particularly interactive flash technologies.Since the online users cannot obtain tutors'instant feedback,it is the course design through the employment of the interactive flash technology that helps to maintain learners' autonomy and stimulate their motivation.This agrees with most research on the sig- nificance of the feedback in online learning.but it has to be pointed out that in pure- online second language leaming.the detailed and timely feedback plays a much more important role than in general online learning.Admittedly.the proper use of the widely-employed interactive flash technology either in flash exercises or flash courses determines,to some extent,the success of the online resources.This could he re- garded as a new finding especially for pure-online second language learning.In addi- tion,the findings can help remove the inconsistency on the relationships between learner motivation and technology by different researchers.Apart from the studies of feedback in exercises which have been carried out by a few researcbers.this study concluded the importance of feedback through other communication ways such as the BBS.The course design with the appropriate use of the interactive technology facili- tated the users'motivation.The course design with the use of interactive technology produces a virtual tutor scaffolding English learning in such a pure-online English learning environment.In this sense,the interaction between the users and content is intertwined with the virtual interaction between the user and tutor. Issues were discovered in the pure-online second language learning environment. Most of the participants tended not to consult the tutors/editor directly when encounter- ing a question or problem.Probably they are rather worried about the delays in feed- back.It appears to echo participants'call for the need of synchronous communication and interaction.The limit in human resources is also reflected in the participants'com- plaints upon the lack of tutors/editors'feedback and revisions in the Community

Issues of Interaction in Pure-Online English Learning Environment 147 English from posting articles as a sort of writing practice. One of the most surprising findings that come out of the interviews and discussions is the participants’ preference for the Community and greatest desire for the setting up of a Chat Room. The users intend to minimize the absence of face-to-face tutorials through the use of a Chat Room. However, the need for a Chat Room reflects the lack of the opportunities for practicing oral English and the general low level of Chinese learners’ oral English. The asynchronous Community has gained the support of most of the participants as it is the only place for them to communicate and interact with each other socially. In addition, it establishes a firm link between online learning and the need of social in￾teraction [22]. In a pure-online learning environment, obviously the users hope they can obtain online support and assistance from other users, tutors/editors especially more professional people. The interaction between the users and the content can be regarded as the exercise of cognitive constructivism. The users construct meaning in their own mind through the interaction with the resources. It has to be noted the users can hardly acquire any assistant from tutors/editor of the website. Nearly all of them could carry on learning the content by themselves with the facilitation of feedback, online support or content design. Feedback was important to strengthen the interaction between the users and the content [1]. The recognition of the significance of the elaborated and timely feed￾back by most of the participants indicates the online learners’ dependence on the in￾teractions enhanced by technology particularly interactive flash technologies. Since the online users cannot obtain tutors’ instant feedback, it is the course design through the employment of the interactive flash technology that helps to maintain learners’ autonomy and stimulate their motivation. This agrees with most research on the sig￾nificance of the feedback in online learning, but it has to be pointed out that in pure￾online second language learning, the detailed and timely feedback plays a much more important role than in general online learning. Admittedly, the proper use of the widely-employed interactive flash technology either in flash exercises or flash courses determines, to some extent, the success of the online resources. This could be re￾garded as a new finding especially for pure-online second language learning. In addi￾tion, the findings can help remove the inconsistency on the relationships between learner motivation and technology by different researchers. Apart from the studies of feedback in exercises which have been carried out by a few researchers, this study concluded the importance of feedback through other communication ways such as the BBS. The course design with the appropriate use of the interactive technology facili￾tated the users’ motivation. The course design with the use of interactive technology produces a virtual tutor scaffolding English learning in such a pure-online English learning environment. In this sense, the interaction between the users and content is intertwined with the virtual interaction between the user and tutor. Issues were discovered in the pure-online second language learning environment. Most of the participants tended not to consult the tutors/editor directly when encounter￾ing a question or problem. Probably they are rather worried about the delays in feed￾back. It appears to echo participants’ call for the need of synchronous communication and interaction. The limit in human resources is also reflected in the participants’ com￾plaints upon the lack of tutors/editors’ feedback and revisions in the Community

148 Y.Han 6 Conclusion This study set out to explore how the interaction works in a pure-online English- language-learning environment,and to investigate the related issues and peculiar char- acteristics of these interactions.Online interviews and online discussions with eight Chinese users of in2english,aged from 19 to 35.were investigated from the in2english community.Naturally the two predominant interactions were between the users and content and amongst the users themselves.The interactions in such an environment can seek its theoretical support from the cognitive and social constructivism approches. The interaction between the users and content reveals the process of individual cogni- tion through the facilitation of course design and especially elaborated and timely feedbacks backed by the interactive flash technology.During the course of personal construction of English language knowledge,both the learner autonomy and motiva- tion can be ensured.The elaborately designed feedback functioned as a virtual tutor scaffold for these English learners.The interaction between users enabled the process of co-construction of knowledge in social interaction through the use of the community as asynchronous communication.The users expressed a need for more synchronous communication,due to the absence of face-to-face tutorials compared with blended learning or conventional face-to-face teaching and learning.In this pure-online English learning website,the eminent issue is the lack of tutor support and tutor interaction. Findings supported adding a new Chat Room for more academic issues to he dis- cussed.Such findings indicate a shift in the users'concept of online learning for improving English abilities.The opportunity sampling in the study brought some limi- tations.The participants were confined to the active users of the community of in2english.their ideas and opinions in the interviews and discussions may have been unrepresentative of the average users.Further studies are warranted to involve a wider range of users including those who are not active users of the community. References 1.Allum,P.:Evaluation of CAL:initial vocabulary leaming.ReCALI.16(2),488-501 (2004) 2.Anderson,T.,Elloumi,F.(eds.):Theory and Practice of Online Leaming.Athabasca University Press.Athabasca (2004) 3.Bax,S.:CALL-past,present and future.System 31(1),13-28 (2003) 4.Bell,J.:Doing your research project:a guide for first-time researchers in education.health and social science,4th edn.Open UP,Maidenhead (2005) 5.Brown.A..Dowling.P.:Doing Research/Reading Research:a mode of interrogation for education.Falmer Press.London (1998) 6. Blin.F.:CALL and the development of leamer autonomy:towards an activity-theoretical perspective.ReCALL 16(2).377-395 (2004) 7.Chun.D.M.:Using computer networking to facilitate the acquisition of interactive compe- 1ene.System(22).17-31(19y4) 8.Chun.D..Plass,J.:Networked Multimedia Environments for Second Language Acquisi- ticn.In:Warschauer.R.K_M.(ed.)Network-Based Language Teaching:Concepts and Practice.Cambridge University Press,New York (2000)

148 Y. Han 6 Conclusion This study set out to explore how the interaction works in a pure-online English￾language-learning environment, and to investigate the related issues and peculiar char￾acteristics of these interactions. Online interviews and online discussions with eight Chinese users of in2english, aged from 19 to 35, were investigated from the in2english community. Naturally the two predominant interactions were between the users and content and amongst the users themselves. The interactions in such an environment can seek its theoretical support from the cognitive and social constructivism approaches. The interaction between the users and content reveals the process of individual cogni￾tion through the facilitation of course design and especially elaborated and timely feedbacks backed by the interactive flash technology. During the course of personal construction of English language knowledge, both the learner autonomy and motiva￾tion can be ensured. The elaborately designed feedback functioned as a virtual tutor scaffold for these English learners. The interaction between users enabled the process of co-construction of knowledge in social interaction through the use of the community as asynchronous communication. The users expressed a need for more synchronous communication, due to the absence of face-to-face tutorials compared with blended learning or conventional face-to-face teaching and learning. In this pure-online English learning website, the eminent issue is the lack of tutor support and tutor interaction. Findings supported adding a new Chat Room for more academic issues to be dis￾cussed. Such findings indicate a shift in the users’ concept of online learning for improving English abilities. The opportunity sampling in the study brought some limi￾tations. The participants were confined to the active users of the community of in2english, their ideas and opinions in the interviews and discussions may have been unrepresentative of the average users. Further studies are warranted to involve a wider range of users including those who are not active users of the community. References 1. Allum, P.: Evaluation of CALL: initial vocabulary learning. ReCALL 16(2), 488–501 (2004) 2. Anderson, T., Elloumi, F. (eds.): Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Athabasca University Press, Athabasca (2004) 3. Bax, S.: CALL - past, present and future. System 31(1), 13–28 (2003) 4. Bell, J.: Doing your research project: a guide for first-time researchers in education, health and social science, 4th edn. Open UP, Maidenhead (2005) 5. Brown, A., Dowling, P.: Doing Research/Reading Research: a mode of interrogation for education. Falmer Press, London (1998) 6. Blin, F.: CALL and the development of learner autonomy: towards an activity- theoretical perspective. ReCALL 16(2), 377–395 (2004) 7. Chun, D.M.: Using computer networking to facilitate the acquisition of interactive compe￾tence. System (22), 17–31 (1994) 8. Chun, D., Plass, J.: Networked Multimedia Environments for Second Language Acquisi￾tion. In: Warschauer, R.K.M. (ed.) Network-Based Language Teaching: Concepts and Practice. Cambridge University Press, New York (2000)